inundated
Americanadjective
-
flooded.
Desperate people in the inundated areas prayed for rescue even as the waters kept rising.
-
overwhelmed by a great volume of something.
The first congratulatory email was a high for all of us; then we got another, and another, and by the end of the day we had an inundated inbox.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of inundated
Explanation
Stand on a busy street corner handing out free cupcakes, and you'll be inundated with hungry customers. Inundated means "overwhelmed". The Latin root of inundated is inundare, literally "to overflow," and "overflowing" is still one of the meanings of the adjective inundated. A river bank can become inundated with water, or flooded, just as a movie star can be inundated with autograph requests.
Vocabulary lists containing inundated
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Southern California, a key market for El Tri, was among the first areas inundated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
"The major changes that we are seeing are sea-level rise. We are starting to see new places are getting flooded or inundated."
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
But it has also been inundated with claims since it wrote more policies in damaged areas than other insurers, accounting for nearly one third of claims.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
"In comes Shaquille with bodyguards, friends, coaches, trainers - I was just inundated with people," says McKechnie.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
At the river’s edge during flood season are small trees inundated to the tips of their branches.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
